Honey Millett was born 1st September 1809 at Lansallos, Cornwall to Revd John Curnow Millett and Mary Honey. He was Christened on 25th October 1809 in the parish of Lansallos.
At the age of 14 in 1823, Honey joined the Maritime Service of the East India Company as a midshipman on board the Marchioness of Ely (pictured above), a Blackwall Frigate, built for the East India Co. At the age of 18, he became a purser onboard the same ship c1827.
Whilst we can’t attribute the painting below to Honey’s fair hand, it does represent the Midshipman’s Mess on board the Marchioness of Ely at that time.
In 1830 Honey Millett joined the HCS Thomas Grenville and subsequently in 1832 he joined HCS Buckinghamshire.
In 1837 Honey lived in London at 2, St. Georges Place, St. Georges Road, Lambeth. In 1841 the first modern UK census recorded his occupation as HC Services.
Honey married Mary Ann Turner (b. India 1814-1889) on 24 November 1834 at St Hilary, Cornwall.
While Honey worked for the East India Shipping Company and it looks like he only married so that he could get a pension!! When the company ceased to trade, only married employees were entitled to a pension. I can’t remember exactly without searching through tons of paperwork, but he only married about 1-2 weeks prior to discharge and there was a sarcastic note about this on his discharge papers! [Jill Bernard]
Together they had 6 children:
- Charles Dewen, 1837 – 1911
- Helen Elvira, 1839 – 1932
- Arthur Fenning, 1841 – 1885
- Walter Hale, 1843 – 1900
- Henry Michell, 1845 – 1903
- Honey Jnr, 1847 – 1863
At some point between 1841 and 1843, the family moved to Liverpool where they lived in the Mount Pleasant district at 7 Brownlow Street, now the site of Liverpool Infirmary. In 1844, Honey was recorded as Commission Agent to Messrs Pascoe, Grenfell and Sons, copper merchants.
Honey died of typhus fever (17 days certified) on 14 August 1847 at Liverpool, Lancashire aged 38. His will was proved on 18 September 1847. [The Economist Volume 5, Issue 2]
Honey was buried in St James Cemetery Liverpool, (Grave No. 339). 2
At the time of Honey’s death, his widow was pregnant and on 6th April 1847 she gave birth to a son. He was Christened Honey in memory of his father.
The Marchioness of Ely
‘The Marchioness of Ely and General Hewitt’, 1822
Lithograph by Major John Luard, 16th (or Queen’s) Light Dragoons (Lancers), one of 60 lithographs, ‘Views in India Saint Helena and Car Nicobar Drawn from nature and on stone’, 1825-1826. Printed by C Hullmandel, Graf and Soret.
The East India Company’s ‘The Marchioness of Ely’, was launched in 1812. She carried the 16th (or Queen’s) Light Dragoons (Lancers) to India in 1822. She made several voyages between India and England before she was sold to be broken up in 1829. The ‘General Hewitt’ accompanied ‘The Marchioness of Ely’ from the Isle of Wight but the ‘Hewitt’ arrived in India six weeks later. She was launched in 1811 and served as a convict transport to Australia before undertaking five of voyages to India for the East India Company. She was sold to be broken up in 1864.
John Luard served with the 4th Dragoons in the Peninsular War and the 16th Light Dragoons in the Waterloo campaign. The 16th adopted the lance in 1816 and were posted to India in 1822. Luard saw action during the Bhurtpore (Bharatpur) campaign (1824-1826).
[https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1971-02-33-529-52]
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